Happenings 18 April 2019

The Notre Dame Cathedral in France has been mortally wounded in a blaze that tore through the 850 year-old building on Tuesday, our time. A historian who commented on the tragedy called it a “symbol of Paris, a symbol of peace, togetherness and concord.” It reminds me of the devastation of the Christchurch cathedral during the 2011 earthquake. The Christchurch cathedral was similarly dear to the heart of Cantabrians, and the wrangling and public debate about what to do with the damaged building lasted for seven years before a plan for restoration was confirmed last year. The passion evoked about both of these places of worship is a small taste of what Jews thought about their temple at the time of Christ. It was the heart of their universe and a source of immense pride to them. It truly was one of the wonders of the world … and yet at one point, when Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days,” he wasn’t speaking about the grand edifice. He was speaking about his own body as being the true and perfect temple of God – the physical place where the presence of God dwelt. The miracle of architecture that was the Jewish Temple was of no moment compared to the overwhelming miracle of the physical body of Jesus Christ and of its coming resurrection. And so, while we can appreciate cathedrals and other physical symbols of faith and mourn their loss, let us reflect Christ’s priorities. Let us celebrate the greatest restoration project of all time – the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, through whom our own restoration was also won! Christ has risen. He has risen indeed!

In Him,
Murray